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Topic: Where and when was your first Hackensack connection? (Read 1005 times)

I thought of this topic because I recently found an old family photo album that shows me that my first time in Hackensack occurred 70 years ago today - at the tender age of exactly 3 weeks old - when I was baptized in Holy Trinity Church (I was born and lived in Teaneck).

My thorough mother even included a picture of the priest - Father Edward Hennessey, who became a long-time family friend - as the page's centerpiece. You can see the date of the baptism in the upper right picture.

There was a humorous story associated with the baptism that occurred over the font just as the holy water was being poured on my head.

My father and his father were both named Norman, so naturally, my father thought I should be N3. My mother said, "Absolutely not!" (thank you, Mom!). She compromised and let it be my middle name.

The priest - of course - was speaking in Latin as he performed the ceremony, but apparently hadn't gotten the update. As he started to pour the water, he said my name: "NORMANUS ROBERTUS..."

My mother started screaming, "NO! NO! ROBERTUS NORMANUS!! (too bad there was no such thing as personal video back then)

It all got straightened out. If it hadn't, my ID here would begin with an "N".

Born Holy Name, Teaneck in 1972, then came home to Euclid Avenue. Youngest of 5. Been in the same house since. My wife and I bought it in 2003 from my Mom. My grandparents lived here for a time. Now, our daughter. 4 generations. One house.

It dawned on me earlier that I've been mowing the same lawn for 35 years (since I was 10). I'm only on my third lawn mower. One was a Sunbeam electric but I digress...

Born in Passaic in 1967....family lived in Lodi til 1972, So Hackensack til 1975...then to Hudson St til 1986, New St till 1995Moved to NYC in 1995-1998...bounced a bit between Fort Lee, Rutherford and now Lyndhurst since 2012